Straight talking on arts funding

Tony Blair said at the Tate that there will be no raiding of the arts budget to pay for the Olympics (Report, March 7). This is the exact opposite to what we have been told by Arts Council England, from which we receive an annual grant. The prime minister basks in a golden past of arts funding and sees a brighter future. The Arts Council tells us it is planning for a 5% cut in real terms each year for the next three years; and that our grant is in danger of being cut altogether. Who are we to believe; the Arts Council, anxious for the future of one of the arts organisations it helps to fund, or the "pretty straight kinda guy" who told us we were 45 minutes away from Saddam's WMDs?
Christopher ArkellPublisher, The London Magazine

Tony Blair has spoken up for the arts on several occasions (Catherine Bennett, G2, March 8), including at a Downing Street reception in 2005. Then, as at Tate Modern, he impressed with his ability to recognise their ultimate value: enriching people's lives and their communities. This is why it matters so much that government investment in the arts is sustained through the comprehensive spending review this summer. Andrew NairneDirector, Modern Art Oxford

It's a pity the report in the Arts & Business Awards supplement (March 9) on the partnership between UBS and the London Symphony Orchestra omitted to mention its most innovative aspect: that UBS has regularly funded the commissioning, rehearsal and performance of music by young composers. This is unique for a major world orchestra.Colin Matthews London